The Nachos
by The Forest Dog
Summary: Who knew what memories can resurface just by looking at some nachos? Specifically memories of a glowing yellow demon nacho... (Rated T to be safe. Takes place a few days after the twins arrived back at Piedmont.)


**I've been working almost nonstop on my other fanfictions, and I really needed a break, so this just popped into my head. I just wanted to make a little one-shot, and this seemed like a good idea.**

**Maybe it isn't. I was half-asleep when I wrote this. Whatever, onto the one-shot!**

**I don't own _Gravity Falls_.**

Dipper hadn't realized just how much triangles haunted him, how much they reminded him so much of Bill Cipher and how close he'd been to death, until one afternoon.

It had been a pretty uneventful day. Though everyday felt boring after spending a few months in a town plagued with supernatural weirdness, and then going back to one that was just...

Boring.

Dipper had been watching an episode of _Ghost Harassers _on the _Used To Be About History Channel _with Mabel sitting next to him on the couch. Mabel was hanging upside-down, occasionally groaning in boredom.

Dipper groaned, too. He'd give _anything _to have another mystery to solve, and not just the "mystery" of who occasionally hid his books.

(It was always Mabel.)

Dipper reached over onto the coffee table to grab the remote and turn the television off. He was about to go to his room to read some more (though he'd have to _find _his books first) when he heard his mother calling from the kitchen.

"Lunch is ready!"

Dipper and Mabel exchanged glances before hopping off the couch and trudging towards the kitchen. They heard the soft clatter of silverware as they entered the kitchen.

The kitchen table was covered in plates. Each plate had something different on it, ranging from burritos, to salads, to pizza, and burgers. There was no special event that needed all this food, Dipper and Mabel's mother apparently just liked to cook.

Nothing was wrong with the food. Nothing at all. But as Mabel streaked towards the table and instantly began to dig in, Dipper just stood there with wide, terrified eyes and his mouth agape.

He knew he was being stupid. He told himself that he was being dumb, that his fear was silly, but he couldn't shake the feeling of dread and terror that washed over him as he gaped at one plate in particulal.

The dreaded _nachos_. Coated in melted, creamy cheese and covered in all manner of toppings. But that wasn't the thing that scared him. What scared him was the perfectly triangular shape of each nacho.

Memories flooded over him. Memories of that high-pitched maniacal laugh, of that slitted eye, of that booming, echoing voice...

Of that demon that looked stunningly like a nacho.

He didn't realize that he'd been standing for quite a long time with wide eyes and an open jaw until Mabel spoke.

"Hey broseph, aren't you going to come eat?"

For a moment, Dipper couldn't speak. He could just feel a chill run up his spine.

"Uhhhh, you know w-what, I-I think I'm g-going to t-take a walk," he stuttered. Without waiting for a reply, he whipped around and walked towards the front door with his hands shoved into his vest-pockets.

Dipper removed one hand from his pocket to reach for the door knob and twist it. He pulled it open, walked out, and closed the door behind him. Then he began walking down the pavement aimlessly.

He drew in a deep shuddering breath as flashbacks of the demon flooded his senses. And for a moment, he was back in those times. For a moment, he couldn't hear or see anything but those memories.

_The fear of hearing his friends screaming in Grunkle Stan's mindscape, thinking that they could've been dead, or worse, and it would've been his fault for not helping them._

_The helplessness and terror of losing possession of his own body and practically handing it over to Bill, and afterwards being overwhelmed by the pain of what Bill had done to his body afterwards._

_The confusion and fear of watching Grunkle Ford's scrambled memories of Bill, his own bemused thoughts as he stared at the blue flames on the screen that surrounded Bill and Ford as they shook hands._

_The guilt of watching Mabel run into the forest crying, only to hear Bill's booming laughter as he declared that Weirdmageddon had begun, and his fear of thinking that Mabel was in trouble out in the forest alone._

_And finally, the pure and overwhelming terror he had felt as he tried to escape the Fearamid, as he had tried to get himself and Mabel to safety, only to be captured again moments later to be on the brink of dying as Bill's voice rang in his ears._

_"_**I THINK I'M GONNA KILL ONE OF 'EM NOW, JUST FOR THE HECK OF IT!"**

_He had thought he was going to die. That one snap of Bill's fingers would send him to death in excruciating pain. And the feeling of his blood running cold as who he believed was Ford at the time agreed to Bill's demands was indescribable._

_He remembered his encounter with Wendy. He had yelled that the nachos tricked him. But it wasn't just those nachos. It was the yellow demon who had tricked him. Because maybe everything would've been better if he hadn't fallen for Bill's tricks._

_All he could think about was the laughter... The horrifying, eldritch, bone-chilling laughter that haunted his dreams._

And suddenly, the terrified shrieks of fear from people in his memories was replaced by a worried scream in real life.

"Dipper, look out!"

Dipper froze, only at that moment realizing that he was about to wander into the road with cars speeding past. He took a few paces back.

Dipper realized it had been Mabel who had warned him. He realized that she must have followed him. He realized that he had been about to have been killed in a way which would have been his fault. And he realized, for the first time, that he was crying.

His vision was blurred with tears as he felt his legs buckle. He collapsed onto his knees with his face buried in his hands, and with his sobbing muffled by his palms.

He was dimly aware of Mabel speaking to him, but he couldn't be bothered to listen. He could still hear the laughing. The chuckling. The giggling.

All from the demon nacho.

_Am I just being crazy? __I'm just being silly... I'm being irrational... Stop being irrational, stop being _**stupid**_, Dipper! He's gone! There's nothing to worry about!_

He didn't realize he had said all of that out loud until he felt arms wrap around him, and Mabel's reassuring voice.

"I don't know what's wrong, bro-bro, but it'll be alright. You're alright..."

Dipper slowly moved his hands away from his face. He turned to hug Mabel back, and for a few moments, they sat by the side of the road, each in the other's embrace.

Mabel slowly drew away from him and stood up. She offered him her hand to help him get up, which he took. They walked wordlessly to their house. Mabel was just about to open the door when...

"Mabel... Do you ever think... About Bill...?"

Mabel's shoulders sagged. "Honestly? Yeah, I do. I keep thinking about him, and I keep remembering him..."

She trailed off as she looked at Dipper's eyes. They were narrowed in exhaustion, but they were still bright with what looked like fear.

Mabel lowered her gaze for a moment. She realized just how afraid he must have been. He had suffered even more from Bill than she had. He had endured all his twisted games.

"Dipper," she finally spoke, choosing her words carefully. "I know our summer was crazy. I know we almost died _multiple times_, the worst moments at the hands of that demon, but I also know that you've gotten through all of it. I often think that if I was ever put in some of the situations you were put in, I wouldn't have lasted. I know you think that you're an idiot, and that you're weak, but..."

She paused to wrap her arms around him in a hug. "But the truth is, you're smarter than anyone I've ever met. You're stronger than you think. And while it might not be physically, it _is_ mentally. Heck, I'm surprised you made it this long before letting everything sink in. I know I would've crumbled in two seconds."

She tightened her grip on him as she too started to cry. "You're not an idiot, you're my brother. And nothing Bill can do will ever change that."

Dipper broke away from her hug with a smile. "That was one of the most sincere-sibling-hug ever."

Mabel gasped. "Oh no! It's always supposed to be awkward! We have to fix this!"

They both laughed and did an awkward sibling hug next, including the pats. They stood on the porch of the house for a moment, before Mabel asked the question that had been in her mind the whole time.

"Dipper, what made you start thinking about Bill again...?"

Dipper sighed and adjusted his hat. "Well, Mabel, nachos never were one of my favorite foods."

**The end! I hope this was good. I've never written any story like this before. I'm bad at sibling fluff because I have a brother, and the _last _thing he does is reassure me.**

**Yeah.**

**Hope you enjoyed this little one-shot.**


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